Legal Definitions - poundage fee

Definition: A poundage fee is a commission paid to a sheriff for recovering money through legal means, such as an execution or attachment. The fee is usually a percentage of the amount recovered.

Example: If a sheriff is tasked with collecting a debt of $10,000 through an execution, and the poundage fee is 5%, the sheriff would receive $500 as commission for successfully recovering the money.

Explanation: Poundage fees are a way for sheriffs to be compensated for their efforts in recovering money through legal means. The fee is usually a percentage of the amount recovered, which incentivizes the sheriff to work harder to collect as much money as possible. In the example given, the sheriff would receive $500 as commission for successfully recovering the $10,000 debt, which is 5% of the total amount.